Hessel Michigan to Mackinaw City
Labor Day morning came early. Even Chris was fighting the need to wake up after our marathon drinking fest the day before. We may have felt like teenagers out in the raft rowing around in the dark the night before but sunrise brought with it the consequences of our actions... Chris finally found his way to the showers and by the time he got back I had a half a pound of bacon crackling in the electric fry pan. That along with a half a dozen eggs and we were able to start After breakfast I took my turn at the shower house before we tied the raft up to the seawall and took the boat out in the bay to go fishing. The breeze was light and barely filled the jib after shutting down the outboard. We crept along slowly dragging our lures behind for a while. We never got a bite and I don’t think we cared as we didn’t have the energy to deal with it anyway. We played a while longer before going back in grabbing the raft and heading South out of the cut. After a few well intentioned tries to catch enough air to sail out we had to fire up the motor and head down the cut. We finally broke out into the big water and set a course for the channel past Mackinac Island. The open water gave us enough wind to break out the sails and shut down the motor. We sat quietly watching the small islands along the way pass by and marveled at the depth finder breaking the 500 foot deep mark a few times. Chris rode much of the rest of the trip stretched out on the couch with his feet hanging out of the doorway. He had a line out behind us but the lure spent most of the time waterskiing across the top of the water. We wiggled past Mackinac Island, beer in hand choking down some huge sandwiches I put together. The sun was getting low in the sky and the hopes of docking in daylight was fading. The big bridge was looking majestic as we broke out into the straits on the final hop to the mainland. It was getting dark fast as we finally approached the mainland. We made good time sailing into Mackinaw City. I followed the line on the GPS from the way out to find the marina in the dark. Since I was just making a hit and run to drop Chris off then head back out to the island alone, I needed a dock rather than the boat launch.
We rigged a couple of dock lines fore and aft and lined up with the long dock. Like clockwork Chris jumped up onto the dock with the bowline and after putting the engine in neutral I jumped up on the dock as well, line in hand ready to slow the boat down with the rope as it glided up the dock perfectly. Then it happened… Somehow the line got tangled in my feet when I jumped from the boat and caused me to trip and fall. Chris looked back just in time to watch me roll from the fall and manage to get the line wrapped around my neck. The boat pulled the rope tight and proceeded to drag me down the dock by my neck… It wasn’t far but it was far enough to leave me bruised and full of splinters. Chris tied up the boat while I checked to make sure all my motor functions were still working after the hanging. Once we regrouped it was pretty funny. We unloaded all of Chris’ stuff into the van and he was off on the five hour drive home. With all of his stuff off it seemed like the boat was twice the size below. It suddenly felt very lonely by myself as I backed the Warrior out of the dock to head back across the big water towards Mackinac Island over an hour away. The big ass Mackinac Bridge dominated the crossing's view. It was awe inspiring as I pulled out of the marina and headed out into the blackness of the straits. My thinking was to hit the island again because the next day would be a washout due to weather and if I have to be grounded I wanted to be on the island. It seemed like forever while trying not to doze off to get back to the marina. The marker buoys for the big reef in the middle of the straits were easy to see all lit up at night. Being a post Labor Day weeknight I was able to find a slip open and was tied up and asleep in record time. Morning was sunny and hot. The wind had the water churned up outside of the harbor giving me an excuse to relax and explore the island. Weather ended up pinning me in for two days and I settled right into the island pace. I burnt up a few tapes in the video camera wandering around. I spent long hours listening to the stereo while laying on my bed with my feet hanging out of the doorway watching the clouds go by. Every night from the fort onshore a soldier plays taps on a bugle and it carries across the water in such a way that it gives you goose bumps. In the afternoon the smell of fudge carries over from the shops and the sounds of the horses pulling I kept a close eye on the weather with an alarm clock set for 9pm every night to remind me to catch the nine o’clock Coast Guard weather report on channel 22 of the VHF ship-to-shore radio. Day three looked like a maybe day for getting out of there. The weather service was calling for heavy winds and waves out of the north. The first half of my jump would be sailing below Bois Blanc Island past Cheboygan, Michigan. The island on my northern side will protect me from the high winds and waves. After that I pass the lighthouse marking a reef in the middle of the channel and out into the big exposed water. The plan was to sail out and if the waves were too big after coming out of the shadow of Bois Blanc I would turn around and seek shelter at Cheboygan. That was the plan at least…. Next Page: Hammond Bay the Hard Way
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forming complete sentences and made less cavemen-like grunting gestures.
As we pulled in, the wind that pushed us across the lake so well was now making us fight for a slip. I had to hit it hard to fight the cross wind that wanted to blow us off the dock as we pulled in.
the carriages was magical. It was a very enjoyable break from life. I haven’t been back to the island since.